DOTM File (.dotm): What It Is, How It Works + Sample Files

The basics

What is a DOTM file?

A DOTM is a Word template with macros allowed. Like a DOTX, it holds text, styles, page setup and building blocks that new documents start from. Unlike a DOTX, it can also store VBA macros. That makes it the format for two jobs: templates that come with automation, such as a letter that fills in its own fields, and collections of macros that should be available in every document.

Double-click it, and Word creates a new, untitled document based on it. To edit the template itself, open it from inside Word, or right-click it and choose Open.
It may hold no macros at all. Microsoft describes it as configured to support macro code, not as always containing it. Our samples have none.
Templates that look like documents are a known trick. Files that pull in a DOTM from a web server are a common way to slip macros past filters.

Our samples contain no macros

Each DOTM on this page is the macro-enabled template package without a VBA project, safe to open. olevba reports "No VBA or XLM macros found".

Anatomy

What's inside a DOTM file

Inside, a DOTM is a DOCX package with a template content type. This is sample-letter-template.dotm from the samples below: a letter with fill-in fields and no macros. A DOTM with macros would also contain word/vbaProject.bin, explained on the DOCM page.

sample-letter-template.dotm (structure)

sample-letter-template.dotm  (a ZIP archive: 50 4B 03 04)
[Content_Types].xml
_rels/.rels
docProps/core.xml
docProps/app.xml
word/document.xml               the letter, with six content controls
word/_rels/document.xml.rels
word/styles.xml                 includes the custom "Sender Block" style
word/stylesWithEffects.xml
word/settings.xml
word/webSettings.xml
word/fontTable.xml
word/theme/theme1.xml
customXml/item1.xml
customXml/_rels/item1.xml.rels
customXml/itemProps1.xml
word/numbering.xml
word/footer1.xml

In [Content_Types].xml:
<Override PartName="/word/document.xml"
  ContentType="application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabledTemplate.main+xml"/>

A content control in word/document.xml, indented for reading:
<w:sdt>
  <w:sdtPr>
    <w:alias w:val="Recipient name"/>
    <w:tag w:val="recipient"/>
    <w:id w:val="4101"/>
    <w:text/>
  </w:sdtPr>
  <w:sdtContent>
    <w:r><w:rPr><w:color w:val="808080"/></w:rPr>
      <w:t xml:space="preserve">[Recipient name]</w:t></w:r>
  </w:sdtContent>
</w:sdt>

150 4B 03 04
The ZIP signature
The same as every Word and Excel file since 2007.
2word/document.xml
The template's content
What every new document starts with: here, a sender block, fill-in fields and a closing. In a template used only for its macros, this can be empty.
3word/styles.xml
Styles
Documents based on the template start with these styles, including custom ones like Sender Block.
4ContentType="application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabledTemplate.main+xml"
The template content type
This makes the package a macro-enabled template. In a DOTX the main part says …wordprocessingml.template.main+xml, in a DOCM …document.macroEnabled.main+xml. Word reads it to decide that double-clicking should create a new document rather than open the file.
5<w:sdt>
A content control
A field the user fills in. Templates often use them for names, dates and choices.
6<w:alias w:val="Recipient name"/>
Title and tag
The alias is the title Word shows on the control; the tag (recipient) is a name for code. Document automation tools find fields by tag, not by text.
7<w:text/>
The control type
Plain text here. The sample also has a date picker (<w:date>) and a drop-down list (<w:dropDownList>).
8[Recipient name]
Placeholder text
Grey text the user types over.

Normal.dotm

Normal.dotm: the template behind every blank document

Word keeps a Normal.dotm for each user, on Windows and Mac. It opens whenever Word starts, sets the default styles and look of new blank documents, and by default is where Word stores macros you record ("All Documents (Normal.dotm)" in the Record Macro dialog). Changes you make to it apply to documents you create later.

Where it is on Windows: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm. AppData is a hidden folder.
Resetting it: if Normal.dotm is renamed, damaged or moved, Word creates a new one with the original settings the next time it starts. Rename it to something like Normal-old.dotm to get a clean default and keep the old one as a backup.
"Do you want to save changes to Normal.dotm?" on every exit means something changed the template: usually an add-in or a macro, and occasionally a macro virus. Microsoft's own troubleshooting article lists both.

A target for attackers

Macro code added to Normal.dotm runs inside every Word session. MITRE ATT&CK lists this as a persistence technique (T1137.001, Office Template Macros). If you didn't add macros to your Normal template, it shouldn't have any: check it with olevba or the VBA editor (Alt+F11).

Add-ins

Global templates and add-ins

A document is attached to one template, usually Normal. You can also load other templates as global templates, which makes their macros, AutoText and other building blocks available to every document, whatever template it's based on. A DOTM loaded this way is often called a Word add-in.

Load one for this session: Developer tab, Document Template (or File, Options, Add-ins, Manage: Word Add-ins), then Add. It stays loaded until you close Word.
Load one every time Word starts: put it in Word's Startup folder, by default C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP. The exact path is under File, Options, Advanced, File Locations.
Unload it by unticking it in the same dialog, or removing it from the Startup folder.

Because everything in the Startup folder loads silently with Word, that folder is worth checking when Word behaves oddly. Only global templates you installed on purpose should be there.

Inheritance

What a document created from a DOTM gets

Part of the template	In the new document?
Text, tables, content controls, headers and footers	Copied into the new document.
Styles, page setup, numbering	Copied.
VBA macros	Not copied. The document stays attached to the template, and the template's macros are available while Word can find it.
File type	The new document is saved as `.docx` by default, even though the template was macro-enabled.

That is different from Excel, where a workbook created from an XLTM inherits the template's VBA project. In Word, the code stays in the template and the documents link to it.

The link can point elsewhere. A DOCX can name a template on a web server, and Word fetches it when the document opens. Attackers use this remote template injection to bring a macro-enabled template into a document that contains no macros itself; the DOCX page covers it.

Comparison

DOTM vs DOTX, DOT, DOCM and OTT

Format	What it is	Macros
DOTM	Word template, ZIP of XML	Allowed
DOTX	Word template, ZIP of XML	Not allowed
DOT	Word 97-2003 template, binary	Allowed, and the name doesn't tell you
DOCM	Word document with macros	Allowed; opens as itself, not as a new document
OTT	OpenDocument text template (LibreOffice)	LibreOffice Basic macros allowed

Use DOTX for templates that only need text and styles, which avoids security prompts and mail filters. Use DOTM only when the template has to carry code.

Security

Is a DOTM file safe?

Treat a DOTM from someone else like any file with code in it. The protections that apply to DOCM documents apply to templates too:

Mark of the Web. Microsoft's macro-blocking change covers templates and add-ins downloaded from the internet, including .dot and .dotm, on Office for Windows.
Trusted Locations. Files in a Trusted Location open with macros enabled. Word's own template and Startup folders are usually trusted, which is why copying a downloaded DOTM there bypasses the warnings. Only do it for templates you trust.
Inspection. olevba template.dotm lists any VBA modules without running them, and flags auto-run macros such as AutoNew (runs when a document is created from the template) and AutoExec (runs when a global template loads).

How to

How to open, edit and convert a DOTM file

Use it: double-click, or File, New, Personal in Word if it's in your templates folder. You get a new document based on it.
Edit it: in Word, File, Open, then pick the .dotm itself; save it as Word Macro-Enabled Template.
Remove the macros: File, Save As, Word Template (.dotx). Word leaves out the VBA project.
LibreOffice Writer opens DOTM files, but doesn't run Word VBA the way Word does.
In code: python-docx's Document() refuses a DOTM ("is not a Word file"), since it accepts only the DOCX content type. You can open the package at a lower level or change the content type to edit it.

Free downloads

Sample DOTM files to download

Free sample Word macro-enabled templates for testing upload filters, template pipelines and macro scanners. None of them contains macros: each is a valid DOTM package without a VBA project, safe to open. All were checked with unzip -t, by opening the package with python-docx, by converting to PDF with LibreOffice, and with olevba.

sample-letter-template.dotm · 35.7 KBDownload

Browsers can't show this kind of file in a page. Download it to open it in the app it belongs to.

What's inside sample-letter-template.dotm

Browsers can't preview DOTM files. Download it and double-click it in Word to start a new letter, or open it from inside Word to see the template itself.

Template content type
word/document.xml is declared as application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabledTemplate.main+xml, so Word treats the file as a macro-enabled template.
Plain-text content controls
Recipient name, address, subject and body, each with a title, a tag for automation and grey placeholder text.
A date picker
The letter date uses a date content control with the format d MMMM yyyy.
A drop-down list
The greeting is a drop-down with three choices.
A custom style
The sender block at the top uses the Sender Block paragraph style, defined in the template's styles.xml.
No macros
There's no VBA project. A second page explains this; delete it before using the letter.

All sample DOTM files

Letter template with content controls (no macros)
sample-letter-template.dotm · 35.7 KB (36,584 bytes)
A letter template for the fictional Example Studio, signed by Ada Example: six content controls (text, date picker, drop-down), a custom style, a footer and properties. Made with python-docx and given the macro-enabled template content type. No VBA project.
- Testing template upload and "new from template" flows
- Content control parsing in document automation
Download
Minimal DOTM, three parts
sample-minimal.dotm · 1.0 KB (1,072 bytes)
Content types, package relationships and a two-paragraph word/document.xml, written by hand. The bare minimum: the three parts every Word package needs.
- Parser tests against the bare minimum
- Comparing content types with DOCM and DOTX
Download
100 KB DOTM file
sample-100kb.dotm · 100 KB (102,400 bytes)
The letter template, padded to exactly 102,400 bytes with whitespace inside docProps/app.xml, stored uncompressed. No macros.
- Upload and size-limit tests
- Checking type-based filters for templates
Download

Ways to test with them

New from template: double-click sample-letter-template.dotm in Word. You should get an untitled document, not the template, and saving it should offer .docx.
Content controls: read the controls by tag (recipient, address, date, subject, greeting, body) and check your tool finds all six, including the date picker and drop-down.
File type detection: a detector that reads [Content_Types].xml should report a macro-enabled Word template for all three files, not DOCX or DOCM.
Macro scanners and filters: olevba should find no VBA. A filter that blocks macro-enabled types will still block these, by design.
Size limits: sample-100kb.dotm is exactly 102,400 bytes.

Free to use for testing, teaching and demos, commercially or not, with no attribution needed. A link back to this page is always appreciated.

Put it online

Have a DOTM file? Give it a link.

Drop a Word macro-enabled template on 99helpers and it gets its own link. Visitors download it and open it in Word; if it has macros, Word on Windows blocks them because the file came from the internet, so share a DOTX if the template doesn't need code.

Put a DOTM file online

Questions

DOTM files, frequently asked

What is a DOTM file?

A Microsoft Word template that can contain VBA macros. Double-clicking it creates a new document based on it; loaded as a global template, it makes its macros available in every document.

What's the difference between DOTX and DOTM?

A DOTM can store macros and a DOTX can't. Both are Word templates in the same ZIP-of-XML format.

What is Normal.dotm?

The template Word uses for new blank documents. It opens whenever Word starts, holds your default styles and, by default, the macros you record.

How do I reset Normal.dotm?

Close Word, then rename Normal.dotm in %AppData%\Microsoft\Templates. Word creates a new one with the default settings the next time it starts.

How do I edit a DOTM template instead of creating a new document?

Open Word first, then use File, Open and choose the template, or right-click the file and choose Open. Double-clicking always starts a new document.

Do documents created from a DOTM contain its macros?

No. Word doesn't copy the VBA project into new documents, which are saved as DOCX by default. The macros stay in the template, and the document can use them while it's attached.

Is a DOTM file safe to open?

Only if you trust where it came from, because it can contain macros. Office on Windows blocks macros in templates downloaded from the internet; check unknown files with olevba before using them.

How do I load a DOTM as an add-in?

In Word, Developer, Document Template, Add, then pick the file. To load it every time Word starts, copy it into Word's Startup folder.

Related formats

Other file types explained

DOTX file DOCM file DOT file DOCX file OTT file XLTM file All file types

Keep going

Host a DOTM file

Put a Word macro-enabled template online at its own address.

Share a DOTM file

Send a template as a link instead of an attachment.

Sources

Last reviewed 27 October 2026.